Means for stoppering and opening fluid containers



Oct. 2, 1945. A. MATHlSEN 2,335,826

MEANS FOR STOPPERING'AND OPENING FLUID CONTAINERS Fil ed Dec. 2', 1943lksumrlolv Attorney Patented Oct. 2, 1945 MEANS FLUID CONTAINERS YAnders Mathisen, Isleworth, England,'assignor to Graviner ManufacturingCompany Limited,

Isleworth, England, a, British corporation Application December 2, 1943,Serial No. 512,666 In Great Britain December 18, 1342 J 8 Claims. 1C1.16931) lhis invention relates to stoppering devices for fluidcontainers, particularly for storing fluid under pressure.'Ihe'containers may be used for storing fire extinguishing liquids undergas pressure.

The invention is applicable for example to stoppering devices. asdescribed in Patents Nos.

2,143,132 and 2,143,133 issued to H. M. Salmond on January 10, 1939.

stoppering devices of the kind described in Patent No. 2,143,132 areopened most satisfactorily by explosive charges of the kind hereindescribed. However, in some cases it may be necessary to make provisionfor opening the stoppering device by hand-operated means, for example,when the explosive charge has failed to operate, or more especially incases where the electrical ignition system has become disabled,particularly in connection with military operations.

In Patent No. 2,143,133 a stopperingv device for fluid containers isshown in the form of a plug having a recess or bore formed in one endthereof and a stem at the other end, this stem being connected to theplug by a thin rim of the 'material of the plug. The stem is surroundedby a sleeve whichis formed in the plug by forming a groove in the plugconcentric with the stem. The stem is preferably of slightly. smallerdiameter than the recess or bore, while a nut or screwed sleeve isscrewed on the stem so as to confine a mall amount of explosivesubstance in the space between the stem, the sleeve, the bottom of thegroove and the nut.

To explodethe explosive substance a fuse element is mounted in thestoppering device which, when energised by an electric current, ignitesthe explosive substance to fracture the thin rim of material connectingthe stem to the plug, whereby the stem and nut are ejected so as toenable the fluid to be discharged from the container.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a stopperingdevice, for the purpose described, with hand operated means for fracturing the stem.

In Patent No. 2,236,961 is described a stoppering device provided withmanually operated means for fracturing a hermetic seal and for manually.closing the container after a predetermined amount of fluid has beendischarged from the container.

According to the present invention astoppering device is provided forfluid containers, particularly for storing fluid under pressure, whereina plug .is provided at one end with a bore extending almost completelytherethrough, while a stem extends from the oppositeend of the plug, thestem being connected to the plug by a narrow rim of metal and being ofslightly smaller 1diameter than the bore, the stem being. surrounded bya concentric sleeve formed integral with the plug, and is characterisedin that the stem is screw-threaded externally and receives an internallyscrew-threaded sleeve engaged .by a screw-threaded bolt or like devicepassing through a fitting secured to the plug.

The invention will now be describedby way of example with reference tothe accompanying drawing, wherein r Figure 1 shows an elevation. ofdevice according to the present invention,

Figure 2 is a vertical section of Figure l.

Fig. 3 is a detail horizontal section ofthe free end, shown broken off,of the connecting terminal block, taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2'.

As shown in the drawing, a stoppering device is provided with a plug 1of which the lower externally screw-threaded'portion 2 is adapted to bescrewed into a fluid container 3, preferably containing fluid underpressure, a suitable washer 5 is preferably provided between the plug Iand the container 3. .1

The lower end of the plug I is provided with a bore 4 extendingsubstantially completely therethrough.

The .upper end of the plug I is machined to form a'sleeve 6 which isbored out so as to leave a central stem 1 integral with the plug I at anarrow rim of metal 8. As will be seen in the drawing, the bore 4. is oflarger diameter than the stem 7, as a result of which the material ofthe rim 8 is capable of being severed in shear when tension is appliedto the stem 1.

Around the stem '1, which is screwed externally, is provided'an annulargroove 9 for the reception of an explosive substance In, which isconfined in the groove 9 by a sleeve H.

An electrically energised fuse device I2 is mounted in the plug 1 and isconnected to an electric current supply by a plug device I3 in aninsulating block l4.

The part of plug l adjacent blockM is hexagon, and a mounting piece|4-a. which may be of metal is interposed between the hexagon and theblock M, for firm support. The fuse device l2 comprises a highresistance wire coil 3| which heats adjacent ignitable material 3-2which acts through lateral bore 33 extending through plug! to groove 9containing explosive Ill.

The sleeve 6 is screw-threaded externally and a stoppering V the plug I,

simple action .of moving the handle 21,.

a hollow connecting fitting I5 is secured to the sleeve 6 by means ofthe screw-thread. The connecting fitting l5 comprises a chamber I6 intowhich the stem 1 and the sleeve H can be blown 'by the explosion or bythe escaping gases after the rim 8 of material has been fractured andthe bolt I8 forced upwardly, said chamber I6 having an outlet I1 whichis screw-threaded externally V to take pipe union nuts and fittings soas to permit discharge of the fluid through piping at any desired point.At the time of the explosion, the bolt I8 is displaced upwardly untilsleeve 1 l abuts of metal, an annular sleeve integral with said againstthe upper wall or ceiling of chamber l6. g

A screw-threaded bolt l8 orlike device engages with the sleeve II andextends, for example, through a packing gland or other device l9 throughthe connecting fitting so that by 1 0 tation of the bolt [8, for exampleby engagement.

of the hexagon or otherwise shaped head 28 on the bolt l8, externally tothe fitting ill, a pull is exerted upon. the stem 1 causing fracture ofthe rim 8 of material connecting the stem. 1 to 7 To, rotate the bolt L8is a spanner device having a handle 2] is fitted to the top of, theC011.- nectingfitting 1.5 which for this purpose is pro, vided with aboss 22 over'which is fitted a sleeve extension 13 of the spanner deviceso .as to rotate freely thereon. To the fitting I5 is secured aninverted L-shaped 2 4 which overlaps a flange 25 on the extension toobviate detach mentof the spanner from the connecting fitting l5, 7 a aIt is found desirable to provide locking means to obviate accidentalrotation of the spanne-rdevice and to this end a hole or orifice isprovided in the extension 23 of the spanner device and in the rim 24 sothata vpin or other like locking device '25 can be passed through saidholes when in a container, to which it is fitted to be discharged byelectrical ignition or by hand operation Joy-the The pitch of the screwof the bolt 1:87 is preferably steeper than the screw ,of the stem], thepitches being preferably in such relation..that the stem .7 is brokenoff when :the spanner device is moved an arc of approximately wee. Thescrew of the bolt I8 is preferably 9f the opposite hand :to the screw oithe stem ,1. .7

To obviatethe necessity for too large an angle ofimovement of the handle:24, the screw thread by whichthe bolt t8 en ages thesleeve .H securedto the stem 1 may be :of the square type having .a moderate lead, and toreduce frictional (clients it is desirable to insert friction reducingmeans such as a roller hearing .or the Jiflsebetweenithe hexagon orotherwise shaped head 21'! .of :the bolt MS and :the top of the glanddevice 1L9 the connecting fitting 15 upon which the head 22,8 of thebolt l8 takes a hearing when this is rotated.

By rotating the bolt device by means .of said spanner, a pull is exertedupon :the stem fl where ;by fracture of the thin jrirn 1,8 of material.at its root is caused, the pressure ,of the ,fluid'theieF a-fiterforcing the stem Fl, sleeve U andbolt' l8 away from the opening producedthe :plug at the end of the bore A. eonncdti-ngfitting i5 oisufficientsize :to permit discharge of fluid through the outlet 1:! withoutThelchamber inzthei plug, said sleeve being arranged concentrically tosaidstem, an internally screw-threaded sleeve engaged at one, end bysaid stem, a screwthreaded bolt engaging the other end of saidinternally threaded sleeve,- and a fittinghaving an outlet therein,secured to said plug, said fitting having an opening in the end thereofremote said sleeve being arranged concentrically to said stem, saidsleeve being screw-threaded externally, aninternallysorewethreaded'sleeve engaged at one end by said stem, ascrew-threaded bolt engaging the other end of said internally threadedsleeve, a fitting having one and inter.- nally screw-threaded andengaging said screwthreaded concentric sleeve by said screwthreaded end,said fitting having an opening in its other end through which said boltpasses, and a spanner device rotatably mounted on said fittins andengaging said bolt.

:3. A stoppering device according to claim 2, including packing means,such as, a gland in said fit-tin said bolt passing through said packingmeans, and a shaped head on said bolt engaging said spanner device. I Iv A stoppering device according to claim 2, including a boss on saidfitting, a sleeve on said spanner device, said sleeve fitting over saidboss, a flange on said sleeve, and an L-shaped rim secured to saidfitting and overlapping said flange.

5. A stoppering device according to claim 2, including a boss on saidfitting, a sleeve on said spanner device, said sleeve fitting over saidboss, a flange on said sleeve, and ,an L-shaped rim secured tosaid'fitting and overlapping said flange and locking means forpreventing relative movement between said sleeve and said boss.

5. ,A stoppering device according to claim =2, including a boss on saidfitting, a sleeve on said spanner .device,vsaid sleeve fitting over saidboss,

21 flange .on saidsleeve, and an L shaped rim 'secured {to said fitting,and overlapping said flange said rim and flange haying register-ingholes therein, and a pin engaging said registering holes.

A stopper-ingpdevice according to claim 2,

wherein the pitch of .the screw-thread of the ternally, said :plug:having an axial bore said threaded end extending almost completelythere:-

tion thereto, said plug having an annular groove therein around saidstem, said groove being adapted to receive an explosive, said plughaving a lateral bore therein leading to said groove, said lateral borebeing adapted to receive an ignition device, an internallyscrew-threaded sleeve receiving said stem, said internally threadedsleeve being adapted to close said groove, a fitting internallyscrew-threaded at one end, said fitting being screwed on said concentricsleeve, a boss at the other end of said fitting, a packing gland in saidboss, a bolt passing through said gland and engaging the other end ofsaid internally threaded sleeve, a hexagon head on said bolt, a spannerdevice rotatably mounted on said boss, said spanner device having ahexagon hole therein for engagement with said head, said spanner deviceincluding a handle, a sleeve fitting over said boss and a flange on saidlast mentioned sleeve, an L-shaped rim secured to said fitting, said rimoverlapping said flange so as to prevent detachment of the spannerdevice while allowing same to turn on said boss, said flange and saidL-shaped rim having registering holes therein, and a pin engaging saidregistering holes.

AN'DERS MATI-IISEN.

